Electoral Reform Movement Founded

March 22, 1974

TEL AVIV (Mar. 21)

A new movement seeking to transform Israel’s electoral system so that voters will cast ballots for individual candidates rather than party lists was founded this week in Rehovot. The leaders of the movement, who include such prominent public figures as Res. Gen. Haim Herzog, former Deputy Transport Minister Gad Yaacobi and various scientists and scholars, stressed its non-party nature. The founding assembly took place at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The name selected was “The Movement for Personal and Regional Elections in Israel,” and its stated goal is to seek change through relevant election bills. The change would apply to both national and local elections. Some legislative initiatives have already been taken in this direction and the hope expressed by the founders was that they will be renewed and pressed so that Israel’s next elections will be held under the new system.